Another Federally Funded EV Charger Company Says It Is Ready To Throw In The Towel

Ecotality Inc, a maker of chargers for electric cars, said it may need to file for bankruptcy after failing to increase sales, sending its shares down as much as 84 percent.

If Ecotality files for bankruptcy, it will join a long list of U.S. alternative-energy companies that have fallen by the wayside.

Consumers have been slow to gravitate toward electric vehicles (EVs) because of their high cost and restricted driving range.

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TheSteve - 8/12/2013 4:48:37 PM

+1 Boost

So much for the "build it, and they will come" belief. The Electric Vehicle (EV) concept has very little consumer demand in North America for numerous reasons: We live in suburbs and work in cities (range), we expect power-consuming heating and air conditioning (EV range killers), the time it takes to refuel (recharge) is too long for anything but short travel (range), the cost of replacement batteries is several thousand dollars (ouch), and so on.

As long as gasoline is cheap and in readily available, North Americans will tend to gravitate to a less expensive gasoline-powered modes of transportation. It's hard enough to get them to switch to a more fuel efficient diesel car, let alone EVs.

In simple terms, the North American mass consciousness is not in a place to embrace EVs now or any time soon. That's why EV manufacturers sell so few cars, and why makers of EV chargers are closing their doors. There's insufficient demand to make it feasible at this moment.

(Note: For those who want to chime in about EVs being less expensive than gasoline cars in the long run, note that Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Cost of Money is often not factored in. In the few cases where the Return On Investment (ROI) for an EV bests a gasoline powered car, the Time To Break-Even is too long for most consumers).

EVs are just not ready for prime time at this moment. Their consumers are a miniscule niche.

BrianKeez - 8/13/2013 11:17:46 AM

+1 Boost

As an EV driver that uses the Blink network I can say that they are missing the mark. Their Blink EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) is bloated with software and form-factor. They have done good things and are pioneering clearing the hurdles to get equipment installed which is fantastic.

As with anything related with EV's, not enough of the decision-makers drive EV's. So there is not enough understanding of what the EV lifestyle is. An EV can and does work as good as a gasoline car for transportation, but fueling needs are very different and must be experienced to gain understanding.

Blink can survive, but needs a daily EV drivers in management.